More selective than 32% of Texas colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $25,505. College Scorecard.
Higher than 73% of Texas colleges we cover and 52% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 59% of Texas colleges we cover and 53% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
SHSU acceptance rate & admissions
Of 17,582 applicants, Sam Houston State University admitted 15,014 and 3,601 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 930–1120 on the SAT or 17–24 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
SHSU tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for Texas residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
State aid: Texas residents with financial need may receive a TEXAS Grant at Texas public universities; amounts are set each year and vary by college. Not included in the prices above. Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (College for All Texans)
What SHSU costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Sam Houston State University took 4.4 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Texas. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $12,474 | $55,385 | 2.7 years |
| $30–48k | $13,389 | $59,447 | 2.9 years |
| $48–75k | $15,540 | $68,998 | 3.3 years |
| $75–110k | $21,366 | $94,865 | 4.6 years |
| $110k+ | $24,101 | $107,008 | 5.2 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.4 years, the average time graduates took (35% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($54,211) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in TX (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $20,695 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
SHSU majors, earnings & careers
Sam Houston State University offers 66 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Business & Finance · 12
- Science & Math · 12
- Health & Medicine · 8
- Engineering · 7
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 7
- Arts & Design · 6
- Humanities & Languages · 6
- Communications & Media · 3
- Technology & Computing · 3
- Education · 2
Highest-earning majors at SHSU
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences | $96,727 | $23,473 |
| Construction Engineering Technology / Technician | $93,904 | $25,000 |
| Nursing | $91,697 | $26,504 |
| Industrial Production Technologies / Technicians | $79,544 | $21,500 |
| Management Information Systems | $73,734 | $20,699 |
| Finance | $72,388 | $27,253 |
| Accounting | $72,059 | $22,291 |
| Agricultural Mechanization | $67,729 | — |
Quick list of all 66 majors
- Accounting$72,059
- Agricultural Business$62,302
- Agricultural Mechanization$67,729
- Agricultural Public Services—
- Agriculture$60,598
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)$54,816
- Animal Sciences$49,636
- Biological and Physical Sciences—
- Biology$53,165
- Broadcasting / Digital Media—
- Business$63,837
- Business Administration$61,464
- Business Economics$67,464
- Chemistry$57,410
- Communications$50,125
- Computer and Information Sciences$96,727
- Computer Engineering Technologies / Technicians—
- Construction Engineering Technology / Technician$93,904
- Criminal Justice$51,748
- Dance$48,568
- Data Science—
- Drafting / Design Engineering Technologies / Technicians—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)—
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Engineering Technologies / Technicians—
- English$48,761
- Entrepreneurship$52,901
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Family and Consumer Sciences / Human Sciences$49,840
- Film and Photography—
- Finance$72,388
- Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services$50,512
- Geography$56,151
- Geology / Earth Science$55,954
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$57,019
- Graphic Communications$42,579
- Health Administration$55,155
- Health Sciences$49,134
- History$50,084
- Homeland Security—
- Human Resources$57,689
- Industrial Production Technologies / Technicians$79,544
- Information Technology—
- Interior Architecture—
- International Business$61,186
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$57,341
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$54,082
- Management Information Systems$73,734
- Marketing$55,522
- Mathematics$61,617
- Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies / Technicians—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other$56,225
- Music$58,743
- Nursing$91,697
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Plant Sciences—
- Political Science$55,894
- Psychology$47,659
- Public Health$50,970
- Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences$31,854
- Sociology$42,152
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$55,647
- Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations$47,823
- Studio Art$39,565
- Theatre$36,389
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Criminal Justice → Police officer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 3.5% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Business → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Huntsville
2 bedrooms $1,227.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 51 inches of rain a year, almost no snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Walker County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Walker County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare SHSU with similar schools
Similar public colleges in Texas by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Houston State University | 90% | $16,404 | 55% | $54,211 | This school |
| Tarleton State University | 90% | $20,783 | 48% | $53,040 | |
| The University of Texas at El Paso | 100% | $9,403 | 50% | $50,923 | |
| Stephen F Austin State University | 94% | $14,260 | 53% | $49,634 | |
| The University of Texas at Tyler | 94% | $13,323 | 54% | $57,053 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Sam Houston State University would cost you $4,379 less per year than Tarleton State University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Sam Houston State University, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$926).
- Sam Houston State University gives aided families $5,784 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Texas resident | SHSU | TSU | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $9,228 | $8,302 | +$926 |
| Books & supplies | $1,380 | $1,560 | −$180 |
| Housing & meals | $11,720 | $10,846 | +$874 |
| Personal & travel | $3,866 | $3,816 | +$50 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$689 | −$424 | −$265 |
| Sticker price | $25,505 | $24,100 | +$1,405 |
| Average grants | −$9,101 | −$3,317 | −$5,784 |
| You pay | $16,404 | $20,783 | −$4,379 |
“+” means SHSU costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about SHSU
What is the SHSU acceptance rate?
Sam Houston State University accepts 90% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 15,014 of 17,582 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 930–1120 on the SAT or 17–24 on the ACT.
How much does Sam Houston State University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $25,505 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $16,404 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $12,474 and families earning $110k+ pay $24,101.
How much do SHSU graduates earn?
Former Sam Houston State University students earn a median $54,211 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the SHSU graduation rate?
55% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 73% return for their second year.
How long does a SHSU degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Sam Houston State University costs about $68,998 after grants ($15,540 a year for 4.4 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $54,211 ten years after starting, $20,695 more than high school graduates in Texas ($33,516), so the cost is repaid in 3.3 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Sam Houston State University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/sam-houston-state-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).